adeezhí
/ʔɑ̀tèːʒɪ́/
Sister in Navajo is adeezhí for a younger sister, while hádí is an older sister. If unsure, use adeezhí.
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Navajo | IPA |
|---|---|
| adeezhí | /ʔɑ̀tèːʒɪ́/ |
| hádí |
Navajo has no single word for sister. You choose the word by the sister's age compared with yours.
Which one should you use?
adeezhí specifically means a younger sister. hádí is used for an older sister.
How does it change in a sentence?
Kinship words usually carry a possessive prefix. To say my younger sister, shi is added to the stem, giving shideezhí.
How do you pronounce it?
adeezhí is pronounced /ʔɑ̀tèːʒɪ́/, with a long vowel in the middle and zh as in the s of measure.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use adeezhí for an older sister. For an older sister the word is hádí.
Did you know?
- Navajo kinship words are frequently used as respectful forms of address for people who are not actually related, based on their approximate age and gender.
- The Navajo kinship system is so detailed that there are distinct words to differentiate between a sister on your mother's side and one on your father's side.
- The term adeezhí is linked to a very ancient linguistic ancestor, coming from the reconstructed Proto-Athabaskan form *-de̓ˑǯə.
Examples in context
- Grandma and Grandpa’s Christmas Errand / Amásání dóó Acheii Késhmish Yiniiyé Deezh’ááh
Yiską́ągo shideezhí kintahdi naagháa dooleełTomorrow my younger sister will come to townshideezhí means my younger sister, and kintahdi means to town.
Example conversation
Sarah introduces her sibling to Kyle.
- SarahKééshjééʼ, shideezhí tʼáá áłtah.Kyle, this is my sister.
- KyleYáʼátʼééh, adeezhí yáʼátʼééh.Hello, your sister is nice.
- SarahÁshį́į́h, shideezhí tʼáá łééchxǫ́ʼ.Thanks, my sister is very kind.
- KyleYáʼátʼééh, tʼáá ákótʼé.Hello, it is just like that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries adeezhí, hádí, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries adeezhí, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
